THE KABBALAH OF TIME:
Kahane and Wainer explain that the calendar is the master key to unlock the hidden rationale behind the formal structure of ancient sacred texts, as well as to understand basic mystical concepts. When comprehended within the context of the Jewish calendar, these works reveal the spiritual energy of each week, serving as a practical guide for self-analysis and development.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Week 17 (Book 3): Avraham, Serug, and the Alter Rebbe

SONG OF THE SEA: all the
inhabitants of Canaan melted. May dread and fright fall upon them;

HAFTARAH: Then ruled a remnant
among the mighty of the nations; the Lord dominated the strong for me.

JOURNEYS IN THE DESERT: They
journeyed from Rimmon Perez and camped in Libnah.

Week 17, the last week of Teveth, includes the yahrzeit
of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, on the 24th of
Teveth. In the verses of the Song of
the Sea, the same theme continues. The inhabitants of Canaan melt, with dread
and fright.

The Haftorah’s
verses could not possibly be more related to the major qualities of the Tribe
of Dan discussed before: strength and ability to multiply after being small in
number. The verses states that with God’s help, the remnant overcame the mighty and the strong.

DafYud Zayin (Folio
17) of Sotah speaks of the writing of
the curses on the scroll that is to be dissolved in the water. The daf also speaks of how curses can be
inferred from blessings, and how even in the words “man” and “woman” there is a
potential for “fire” if the Divine Presence does not dwell among the couple. This
is related to Teveth: because of our
sins, the blessings of the Torah were turned to curses due to our idolatry.
Also, during the destruction of both the first and second Temple, the Divine
Presence left and the Temples were enveloped and destroyed by fire.

The daf also
speaks of Avraham, and how he was rewarded for not accepting the booty from the
king of Sodom. This appears related to Alter Rebbe, the first Chabad rebbe. His uncompromising stance
towards the truth, as well as his selflessness, merited tremendous blessings in
these areas. Not only did his stature command the awe and respect of non-Jews,
but his comprehensive description of the heavenly realms is one of the most
systematic and detailed in the Jewish tradition.

The interaction between Avraham and the King of Sodom
also has a strong parallel between the Alter Rebbe and Napoleon. Napoleon was
offering the Jews greater material wealth and greater freedom. However, the
Alter Rebbe saw that this would lead to spiritual downfall and assimilation.
The physical oppression of the … was better than a spiritual one. This is
parallel to what the King of Sodom said, “Take … and I’ll take the souls,”
which Avraham so vehemently rejected and was greatly rewarded for.

Interestingly, just as Avraham rejected even the most
minute personal object, Napoleon sought after the most minute personal object
belonging to the Alter Rebbe. However, the Alter Rebbe put fire to his home
before leaving, and Napoleon was not able to find a single thing.

Serug, son
of Reu, is a reference to an even greater regrouping. Serug comes from the verg
Lesareg, which means to interlace,
interweave. More than gathering with friends and becoming part of a Shepherd’s
herd again (See also Book 1, Week
17). This is also the innovation of the Chassidism
of the Alter Rebbe. Chassidim are all
one family – they create an unbreakable bond. The Hayom Yom for the 24th of Teveth (which I had not looked at prior writing the above), states:

My grandfather (R. Shmuel)
asked the Tzemach Tzedek: What did Grandfather (the Alter Rebbe) intend with
the "ways of Chassidus" and what did he intend with Chassidus?

The Tzemach Tzedek answered:
The "ways of Chassidus" are that all Chassidim are to be like one
family, with affection, as Torah teaches. Chassidus is vitality. Chassidus is
to bring life and illumination into everything, to shed light even on the
undesirable - to become aware of one's own evil exactly as it is, in order to
correct it.[1]

According to
Philo, a Roman Jewish philosopher, Serug and his family were set apart from the
rest of their generation because they did not engage in idolatry. Philo seems
to have based himself on apocryphal writings, so the validity of this claim is
somewhat suspect. Nevertheless, it would indicate a certain tikkun, a fixing of one of the main
problem areas related to the Tribe of Dan, idolatry. It also appears related to
the second part of the Hayom Yom
regarding what is meant by “Chassidus”
– “to be aware of one’s own evil exactly as it is, in order to correct it.”

In the seventeenth week, the Jews
journey from Rimmon Perez and camp in Libnah. Libnah comes from the word Leveinim,bricks. Bricks are usually associated with the hard labor the Jews
had to endure during their Egyptian exile, in which they had to make bricks. At
the end of the exile, they were not even provided any straws. In his work, Torah Or, the Alter Rebbe, quoting the Zohar, explains that the harsh labor in Egypt has a spiritual
counterpart, in the proper study of the Torah. Leveinim, bricks, is a
reference to libun hilchesa, the clarification of Torah law. Chomer,
mortar, parallels the kal vachomer, the principle of a fortiori, one of principal rules of how
to interpret the Torah. It is possible to exchange the harsh labor of exile for
the labor in the study of Torah.[2]
As mentioned previously, proper Torah study was one of the causes for the destruction
of the First Temple, related to this month. The personal journey is to
internalize the concept of being fruitful and productive, and now focus
on proper Torah study.

Rebbe Yisrael Taub and his son, Shaul Yedidya Elazer Taub, the First and Second Rebbes of Modzitz

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The date also marks the yahrzeit of emmissaries Gavriel Noach and Rivky Holzberg, who died "Al Kidush Hashem" (sanctifying G-d's Holy Name), as well as the Rebbe's miraculous recovery from a massive heart attack.

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Burial Place of the Mitteler Rebbe, Rabbi Dovber of Lubavitch

His yahrzeit (and birthday) is on Tuesday, the 9th of Kislev. The following day, the 10th of Kislev, is celebrated as the day of his personal redemption.